Samsung: A short history

Samsung Group, based in Seoul, is South Korea's largest business group. The multinational conglomerate
contains numerous subsidiaries and affiliated businesses, most of them under the Samsung brand.
Here are key dates in the company's history:
1938: Samsung is founded by Lee Byung-chull as a trading company.
1953: After the Korean War, Lee forms profitable Cheil Sugar, which is followed by textile, banking and
insurance enterprises.
1961: Despite a political coup, charges against Lee of illegal profiteering and a 1966 family scandal of
smuggling, the company grows by diversifying into paper products, department stores and publishing.
1969: Lee, with the help of Sanyo, establishes Samsung Electronics. It produces inexpensive TVs,
microwave ovens and other consumer products for Western companies such as Sears and General
Electric.
1970s: Under a government policy of rapid industrialization, Samsung launches a number of
enterprises in ship building, petrochemicals and aircraft engines.
1980s: The company is exporting electronics under its own name.
1983: Samsung begins production of personal computers.
1987: Lee's son, Lee Kun-hee, assumes control of Samsung.
1988: Samsung Semiconductor and Telecommunications merges with Samsung Electronics. Its core
business focus is home appliances, telecommunications and semiconductors.
1990: Samsung becomes a world leader in chip production.
1994: Samsung Motors is formed.
1996: Lee Kun-hee is involved in a corruption scandal and gets a suspended sentence for bribery.
1998: Samsung completes the development of flat-screen televisions and begins the first mass
production of digital TVs. Samsung Motors delivers its first cars.
2005: Samsung develops the first speech-recognition phone.
2007: Samsung Group is accused of political bribery and influence-peddling throughout the South
Korean government, judicial branch and the media.

 2012: Samsung Electronics becomes world's largest mobile phone-maker by unit sales, overtaking
Nokia, the market leader. U.S. jurors rule Samsung must pay Apple (AAPL) $1.05 billion in damages for
violating six Apple patents on smartphone technology.

Products of Samsung

Strength
1.

Hardware integration with many open source OS and software

2.

Excellence in engineering and producing hardware parts and consumer electronics

3.

Innovation and design

4.

Focus on environment

5.

Low production costs

6.

Largest share in mobile phones and 2 place in smartphones sales

7.

Ability to market the brand

Weakness
1.

Patent infringement

2.

Too low profit margin

3.

Main competitors are also largest buyers

4.

Lack its own OS and software

5.

Focus on too many products

Strategies being employed.

South Korean electronics giant Samsung which makes pretty much every gadget and gizmo you can
think of from mobile phones to household refrigerators and even tanks is on a graduate recruitment drive
aimed at further strengthening its North American business, according to the Korea Times. Specifically
Samsung Electronics is seeking to hire post-grads who hold either a Masters or doctoral degrees from
prestigious U.S. universities.
Science and engineering graduates are top of its list with doctorate candidates required to have a
degree in electrical engineering, computer engineering, computer science, industrial engineering,
mechanical engineering, physics, medical engineering or material engineering. It is also open to
applications from science and engineering students who expect to gain their post-grad degrees by the end
of the year.
Also on Samsungs want-list: people who obtained MBAs in the U.S. MBA candidates must have two years
work experience in companies and a degree in marketing, management development, product strategy or
business strategy, the paper reports.

A European recruitment specialist for Samsung Electronics, Lorenza Salerno, has been previously on its
MBA hiring drive saying: Just because were a technology company doesnt mean we only hire scientists.
We definitely need people with MBAs. When Samsung looks for MBAs, its usually for candidates who have
experience at leading global companies like Unilever, IBM or Procter & Gamble. Samsung is looking for
people who not only have a solid academic background but also good business experience which they can
share with the company.
Samsung is also seeking to take on interns who are still at college. There are no details on how many jobs
it wants to fill with U.S. educated post-grads. Weve reached out to Samsung for more details and will
update if they respond.
The paper reports that successful candidates will start their internship with Samsung next summer, and
begin working full time in 2014 at the companys office in Korea.
Earlier this year Samsung Semiconductor announced it would be expanding the size of an existing facility
in San Jose, Silicon Valley, ramping up its local employment.

Primary Reasons for being Global brands

In 1993, as a first step in its globalization drive, Samsung acquired a new corporate identity. It changed its
logo and that of the group. In the new logo, the words Samsung Electronics were written in white color on a
blue color background to represent stability, reliability and warmth.
The words Samsung Electronics were written in English so that they would be easy to read and remember
worldwide. The logo was shaped elliptical representing a moving world - symbolizing advancement and
change...